Battle Against Madara (5)

The night sky on the border of the Land of Rivers was fragmented into an eerie picture by the light of newborn trees and the shadows of ancient trees.

Neji stood atop the scorched earth, his long white hair fluttering gently in the night breeze. His Tenseigan reflected Six Paths Madara's face, so gloomy it seemed to drip with water. Seeing Madara's "the whole world is against me" expression, Neji felt a strange sense of amusement—this legendary man who once reigned supreme over the Shinobi World looked exactly like a child whose toy had been snatched away.

"Kai-sensei," Neji suddenly spoke, his voice breaking the eerie silence of the battlefield, "We haven't seen each other in a long time, and I have a lot to talk to you about."

"..."

Might Guy turned his head, and his face, which always burned with youthful passion, now showed an unusual expression of being stuck. His brain seemed to have suddenly crashed like an old computer; his eyebrows were furrowed, and his lips opened and closed repeatedly, clearly engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

On one hand, Neji was his student—although he only briefly taught Team 3, their teacher-student relationship was genuine. It was only natural for a teacher to chat with his student.

On the other hand... Neji is now at the Six Paths Tier. He's a legendary "god." And given Neji's aloof and indifferent personality, chatting with someone as hot-blooded and Tenten as him, who always talks about "youth"... the image is too beautiful. Just imagining it makes Kai feel uncomfortable all over.

More importantly, what time is it now? Madara Uchiha has just become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, and although Naruto and Sasuke have been resurrected, the battle hasn't even begun. With a formidable enemy at hand... Is this the time to chat?

"Neji," Guy finally managed to gather his thoughts, his expression like he'd been constipated for three days, "How about... we defeat the enemy first, then we talk?"

His tone was cautious, with a clear hint of probing. This usually stubborn man was now unusually displaying his rare emotional intelligence.

Neji merely smiled faintly. The smile was so subtle, like a ripple on a lake's surface touched by a gentle breeze, fleeting and ephemeral.

"With Naruto and Sasuke around," his voice was as calm as stating a perfectly obvious fact, "Even if Madara Uchiha reached the Six Paths Tier, he wouldn't be a match for him."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Let's have some tea and chat instead."

As soon as he finished speaking, Neji took a step forward. Not to rush into the battlefield, but to walk towards a relatively flat clearing at the edge. He raised his right hand and gently grasped at the air—

Ripples spread across the space like water.

The next second, a dark brown low-legged tea table, along with a complete set of purple clay teaware, appeared out of thin air on the open ground. There was even an unopened jar of tea on the table, with the words "Gyokuro - Premium Grade" printed on it. It was the set that Neji often used at his home in Konoha - obviously, he had just "taken" his own tea table from afar.

Neji walked to the tea table, his robes fluttering slightly, and sat down on the floor. He opened the tea canister, took out a tea spoon, and began to measure the tea leaves. His movements were fluid and graceful, each step unhurried, as if this were not a battlefield strewn with corpses, but the tranquil tea room of the Hyuga Clan.

After finishing his preparations, he looked up and gestured for Might Guy, who was still standing there in a daze, to "please".

"..."

Kai's expression escalated from constipation to "swallowing a bitter melon raw." He looked pleadingly at Kakashi —his longtime nemesis and best friend—who was currently gazing up at Six Paths Madara in the sky, his exposed eyes narrowed into crescent shapes, as if admiring some interesting scenery, completely oblivious to Kai's distress signal.

"Kakashi!" Guy whispered, forcing out the words through clenched teeth.

"Hmm?" Kakashi turned his head, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath his mask. "Neji's inviting you for tea, Guy. This is tea personally brewed by Six Paths Tier shinobi; most people wouldn't even get to drink it."

"But..."

"Go ahead." Kakashi patted Guy on the shoulder, his voice unusually relaxed. "It's rare to see Neji so interested. And... he's right."

Kakashi's gaze swept over the three figures confronting each other in the air— Naruto in his white-gold robe, Sasuke with his Rinnegan, and Madara in his white robe. Three Six Paths Tier beings, two against one. Even though Madara possessed the Rinne Sharingan and the power of the Ten-Tails, Kakashi could sense the aura that Naruto and Sasuke exuded when they were first resurrected... It was a power at the same level as Madara, or perhaps even purer.

This battle truly doesn't need their intervention.

Kai glanced at Kakashi, then at Neji had already started boiling water, and finally sighed resignedly. He walked to the tea table, stiffly sat down cross-legged, his green bodysuit standing out starkly against the scorched earth.

From the air, Six Paths Madara witnessed the entire scene.

When Madara saw that Neji not only didn't make a move, but also set up a tea table to watch the battle while drinking tea, he was initially relieved— Neji was the one he feared most. This young man's strength was unfathomable; that Dust Release just now had already proven that even though they were both Six Paths Tier, there was still a gap between them.

But then, a surge of rage erupted from the depths of his heart like a volcano!

Neji's attitude... that completely disregard for him! It was as if the power Madara Uchiha had painstakingly acquired over decades was nothing more than a drama to be enjoyed while sipping tea!

"Mere ants!" Madara's voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the battlefield. "You think you've got victory in your grasp just because you accidentally injured me?!"

His voice was a mixture of anger, arrogance, and a hint of... unease that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

Neji glanced up at him, a glint of indifference in his Tenseigan that seemed to say, "What nonsense are you spouting?" Then he lowered his head, continuing to fiddle with the tea set, and casually remarked:

"Naruto, didn't you say you were going back to the village to eat Ichiraku Ramen? I want to go back to sleep too. Let's finish this quickly, good luck!"

Her tone was so relaxed, as if she were telling her younger brother to finish his homework quickly so dinner could be served.

Naruto paused for a moment, a rare occurrence. He scratched his head, his golden hair shimmering softly in Six Paths Mode: "Neji, are you really not going to intervene? But if it's just Sasuke and me, I'm afraid the battle won't end so quickly."

He wasn't making excuses; he was stating the facts. Although he had received the Sage of Sage of Six Paths' gift and was surging with unprecedented power, his opponent was, after all, Madara Uchiha —that legendary man, who had now become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki. Naruto could sense that Madara's strength far surpassed that of any enemy he had ever faced before.

Sasuke turned his head as well, his Rinnegan in Neji's direction. In that newly formed purple eye, there was the same question—and a deeper, more inquisitive look. He was thinking about what Neji had said before, about those prophetic warnings...

But Neji did not respond. He had already started brewing tea—hot water poured into the purple clay teapot, the tea leaves unfurled in the pot, and the fragrance permeated the air amidst the smell of scorched earth and blood, creating a bizarre and absurd contrast.

Just then, a dark figure silently moved behind Six Paths Madara.

That was Black Zetsu. He possessed the body of a White Zetsu who had miraculously survived. His distinct black and white face emerged from the White Zetsu's shoulder, leaned close to Madara's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Lord Madara, summon the God Tree. Then use Infinite Tsukuyomi. This way, the God Tree will absorb the Chakra of the entire Shinobi World, and your strength will increase along with the Chakra absorbed... You'll be much more confident in dealing with these weaklings."

Black Zetsu's voice was full of seduction, but deep within his yellow eyes flickered an uncontrollable excitement and madness. A thousand years... this moment has finally arrived!

Ban was silent for a moment.

He surveyed the battlefield— Naruto and Sasuke, two newly promoted Six Paths Tier; on the ground, Neji was leisurely brewing tea, while Kakashi, Guy, and Sakura, though lacking in strength, were still a problem; further away, Konoha's barrier remained sturdy...

One against many, there's definitely no chance of winning. But if we summon the God Tree and activate Infinite Tsukuyomi...

A flash of purple light Rinne Sharingan.

"... Understood."

He no longer hesitated. His hands began to Hand Seals —an ancient and complex sequence, each movement drawing upon immense Natural Energy. As the Hand Seals were formed, the nine Truth-Seeking Orb behind Madara began to vibrate violently, emitting an ominous dark red light.

Although Neji was focused on brewing tea, his Tenseigan's perception had already enveloped the entire area. He "heard" Black Zetsu's suggestion to Madara and "saw" Madara begin Hand Seals.

"Naruto, Sasuke," Neji said calmly, picking up his first cup of tea and blowing on it to cool it, "Aren't you going to make your move? Madara's about to unleash his ultimate attack."

The moment the words left his mouth, Naruto and Sasuke moved!

The two transformed into streaks of light, one golden and one purple, tearing through the night sky and hurtling straight at Madara, who was Hand Seals! The speed in Six Paths Mode had surpassed all reason, covering a hundred meters in an instant!

But the hand Hand Seals were also completed at the same time.

"Limbo: Border Prison!"

Four invisible shadows split off from Madara's body, heading straight for Naruto and Sasuke! These were clones existing in the "Limbo" world, detectable only by those with the Rinnegan or Six Paths Tier. The shadows had no physical form, but their attacks were undeniably real— Naruto was blasted away by a punch, and Sasuke was kicked away, both tumbling several times in the air before regaining their footing.

And the second mark on the spot has already formed.

"The God Tree World Emergence."

The earth began to tremble.

It wasn't a localized earthquake, but a pulsation across the entire battlefield, the entire region, even the entire continent. It was as if some ancient and immense entity was awakening from its slumber.

"Boom--!!!"

The ground cracked open! An indescribably massive fissure spread from where the spot stood, and from its depths, something indescribable, something primally terrifying, was rising...

First, there's the root.

Countless thick, mountain-like tree roots burst forth from the earth, not growing upwards, but spreading in all directions! Each root was covered with strange patterns, like blood vessels or runes. Wherever the roots passed, the earth was torn apart, rocks were crushed, and the surviving White Zetsu on the battlefield were caught, wrapped, and absorbed by the "bandage"-like branches extending from the roots before they could even react!

"What is this?!" Sakura exclaimed, quickly jumping back to avoid an incoming tree root.

Kakashi's Sharingan spun wildly. He could see that the tree roots were absorbing Chakra —not only White Zetsu's Chakra, but also the Natural Energy floating in the air, and even... the life force of the earth itself!

And all of this is just the beginning.

Deep within the crack, the main trunk rose.

It was beyond the scale that could be described as a "tree." The trunk was as thick as a mountain peak, its surface covered with dark brown bark that resembled dragon scales. It grew upwards, wildly and endlessly! Hundreds of meters, thousands of meters, tens of thousands of meters... The trunk pierced through the clouds, pierced through the night sky, and finally spread its canopy at a height that was beyond the sight of most people.

Those weren't green leaves. Instead, they were... countless drooping, willow-like branches, each emitting a faint purple glow, swaying in the night sky like an inverted Milky Way.

The God Tree descends.

Even more terrifying, with the appearance of the God Tree, more roots surged forth from the ground! They were no longer confined to the battlefield, but spread far and wide—towards any sign of life, towards any human settlement, towards... the entire Shinobi World!

The tendrils reached towards the tea table where Neji and Guy were sitting.

Neji didn't even look up, simply waving his hand casually. A pale green Truth-Seeking Orb flew out from behind him, transforming into a sharp blade that severed the attacking roots. Milky white sap spurted from the cut, corroding into pits as it hit the ground.

Kakashi and Sakura each used their own methods— Kakashi's Kamui twisted the roots, and Sakura's Superhuman Strength Fist shattered them. But there were too many roots; as soon as one was cut, ten more would sprout, like an endless tide.

Meanwhile, in the air, Naruto and Sasuke were locked in a fierce battle.

On one hand, they had to deal with Madara's "Limbo" shadows—those invisible attacks were impossible to defend against, and even with Six Paths Tier perception, they needed to concentrate fully to deal with them. On the other hand, they also had to clear away the ever-attacking roots of the God Tree. Those roots were not only numerous but also exceptionally tough, and even attacking them with Six Paths Power required a considerable amount of effort.

The battle reached a stalemate.

Neji picked up his teacup and took a sip. The delicate fragrance of Gyokuro tea melted in his mouth, mingling with the stench of blood and scorched earth from the battlefield, as well as the eerie sweet scent emanating from the God Tree, creating a complex and indescribable flavor.

His gaze swept across the battlefield—the struggling Naruto and Sasuke, the rampaging Madara, the spreading God Tree, and... hidden in the shadows, that black and white face contorted with excitement.

A faint blue light flickered in Tenseigan.

"As expected..." Neji muttered to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear it, "So there's still no way to stop Kaguya Ōtsutsuki from appearing?"

The water in the teacup reflected the towering canopy of the God Tree, and the moon that was beginning to appear in the night sky, gradually turning blood red.